The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was founded in 1892 at its current site to operate as an independent research entity dedicated to the maintenance and enhancement of its anatomical collection and to "the conduct of any other work for the increase of scientific knowledge." Over its history, The Wistar Institute has emerged as one of the nation's leading private basic research institutions. In recognition of its contributions in cancer research, the Institute received a Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) and was designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a federally approved Cancer Center in 1972, specializing in basic research. In 1976 the NCI funded the addition of a Cancer Wing to the original Main Building. In 2002 Dr. Russel Kaufman was appointed Director and CEO of The Wistar Institute, and Director of The Wistar Institute Cancer Center (Cancer Center). Following his arrival, Dr. Kaufman has led a restructuring of the Research Programs and an extensive review of the Shared Resources. Research at the Institute is organized into three programs: Gene Expression and Regulation; Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis; and Immunology. Investigators are recognized for their leading contribution in gene regulation and chromatin modification, melanoma research, vaccine development, and translational research. The goals of the current CCSG application are to further expand on our success in these areas by recruiting new faculty to the Institute and by providing an environment and resources to promote the success of the members of the Cancer Center. The Cancer Center will emphasize the study of macromolecular transcriptional complexes, mouse models of human cancer, organotypic model systems, antigen recognition and processing, immune cell trafficking, stem cell development, and systems biology. These areas of investigation will complement and expand existing areas of excellence and provide novel insights into the biology of cancer, as well as provide targets for cancer therapies.